


Since I Came To Town

by Tricochet



Series: FlashVibe Week 2018 [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Childhood Friends AU, FlashVibe Week, FlashVibe Week 2018, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, M/M, Reunited childhood friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 09:22:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15603255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tricochet/pseuds/Tricochet
Summary: Eight years after the attempt on his mother’s life that drove him to move away from his best friend, Barry isn't expecting to meet Cisco again.





	Since I Came To Town

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little bit different from canon in that metas aren’t a thing yet. Barry and Cisco were also BFFS in high school, until Nora was almost killed and Barry moved away. Barry still works at CCPD, and Cisco works at STAR Labs and consults for the police.

“We have a new specialist coming in today,” West is announcing. “He’s going to set the forensics department up with new tech.”

Barry frowns. 

“Hate how they’re always changing stuff,” he says to Julian. “It never works any better, just more complicated.”

“That’s before they hired me,” someone says from behind Barry’s desk. Barry turns around and stares.

“Cisco? Cisco Ramon?” 

Cisco takes a second to look at him before he recognizes Barry. "Barry Allen?"

Barry takes a few steps forward to hug his former schoolmate. 

“You’ve gotten tall,” Cisco says into his shoulder.

“You’ve gotten hot,” Barry wants to say. He shakes the thought off. Cisco has grown his hair out, but his smile has stayed exactly the same. “The last time I saw you, you were fighting with your brother over Pokemon cards. Even though you were sixteen.”

Cisco laughs. His eyes shut, and it might be the cutest thing Barry’s ever seen. 

“The last time I saw you, you were running late for a track meet.”

Barry laughs too. 

“Ramon, are you going to explain how to use this scanner thing or am I going to have to figure it out myself?” Julian interrupts.

“It collects fingerprints and DNA and stuff. You just press it onto a surface and pull the little lever thingy.”

Julian pushes the machine down on Barry’s desk. His computer beeps.

“Then you just open the file on your computer and it’ll tell you if there’s a match. It’s no substitute for real forensic work, of course, but it’s good as a estimate.”

As soon as Julian leaves, Cisco turns to Barry again. 

“How long have you been in Central City?”

Barry tries not to think about the circumstances of him moving away. After the attempt on his mother’s life, they’d had to leave everything behind. 

“I moved here right after I left Northpoint City. My family stayed with some of the officers here. It was one of them who made me want to go into forensics.”

“Wow. I went to college here,” Cisco says. “We must have just never run into each other.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re here now.” 

“Yeah. I got a job at STAR Labs, but the police asked me to do some consulting, so…”

“And you’re an engineer now?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you guess from that time I turned the classroom fan into a remote-controlled car?” 

“Still can’t believe you got away with that.”

“Neither can I! I remember the next day, my mom got a phone call, and it turned out to be one of her friends, but I thought it was the principal, snitching on me.”

“Do you still have the car?”

“It’s in my mom’s basement.”

“Wow,” Barry says. 

“Did you keep that valentine I made you in third grade?”

“Yeah. It’s in this scrapbook I have. It holds up as a work of art, by the way.”

“Aww. Do you want to come over after work? Catch up?”

 

 

Barry looks around Cisco’s apartment. He must have brought a lot of his high school stuff with him.

“Is that your Star Trek memorabilia collection?”

“Yep. The whole crew of the Enterprise.”

Barry stares at the model starship. 

“That’s mine! I was wondering where that went!”

“Oh, it is?” Cisco says. “Whoops.”

“What else of mine do you still have?”

“I think I might have kept one or two of your shirts. You know, from before you turned into a string bean.”

Barry shoots Cisco a mock glare. “Where’s your closet?”

Cisco shows Barry to where his clothes are. Barry starts sorting through them. He pulls out a black leather coat.

“This is my jacket!” 

“Oh,” Cisco says quietly. “It might be.”

“I’m gonna see if it still fits.”

Barry throws it on over his shirt. It’s short on him, but he puts his hands in the pockets and poses in the mirror. His hand closes around a piece of paper. He pulls it out and stares.

“What does this - oh.”

Barry reads the messy handwriting. 

“Feelings fr you. Got them. Cisco.”

He looks up at Cisco and reads it again.

“Cisco, do you remember that night we got drunk together?”

“Not very well,” Cisco admits. 

“Well, I think this is from you.”

Cisco reads the note and sighs. 

"Looks like drunk me was trying to confess something. Then I must have put it in your jacket pocket so you’d find it. Except you forgot your jacket.”

“You actually had a thing for me?”

“Uh, yeah. I mean, you were the cute track nerd who always wanted to be my partner in science class. I just never fessed up. Except when I was drunk, apparently.”

“Wow,” Barry says. “Wish I’d known that. You know, I liked you too. You were the geek with the nice smile who always made me laugh.”

Cisco sighs. “A missed opportunity.”

Barry shakes his head and looks at Cisco. “It doesn’t have to be. I’m still single.”

Cisco looks at Barry like he’s trying to tell if he’s joking or not.

“Well, I’m up for it if you are.”

“You’ll go out with me?”

Cisco nods. “Drunk 16-year-old Cisco would be so proud of me.”


End file.
